2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Adam Toms)
Sadiq Khan has said that £10 million is waiting for London pensioners to claim as winter fuel is cut. The Government is aiming to spread the word about pension credit. Under changes announced in July, the Mirror reports , all but the poorest pensioners will see the payment axed.
Only those on pension credit or other benefits will be eligible for the support . But, around 780,000 people eligible for pension credit have still not applied. This has lead to fears many of the poorest will miss out.
READ MORE: Tottenham Court Road street artist can make £200 a week but is homeless - his dog eats well though The Mayor of London says that £9.5 million of previously unclaimed credit has now been taken up by Londoners in the past year. A further 2,1 74 older Londoners on lower incomes have claimed credit they are entitled to in the past year, with an average of £4, 394 per claim, City Hall adds.
Now, Mr Khan has announced he will extend the scheme for another year 'to help Londoners struggling with the cost of living'. This involves 'targeted letters' to those who may be entitled to the extra cash. City Hall says that the Mayor's scheme will continue to work with 25 boroughs in the capital, and is expected to reach over 12,500 households.
Up to £10 million is 'likely to be claimed'. Who is eligible? You can view the full eligibility criteria for pension credit on the Government's website here . This includes the following: You must include your partner on your application.
You’ll be eligible if either: A partner is either: You can sign up to get the latest news, top stories and exclusives sent straight to your WhatsApp from the MyLondon team. To get stories sent to you, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select 'join community'.
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When you apply for Pension Credit your income is calculated. If you have a partner, your income is calculated together. Pension credit tops up: The Government advises: "If your income is higher, you might still be eligible for Pension Credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs.
" London boroughs that have claimed the most Local authority Number of households claimed Amount of pension credit cash claimed this year Barnet 95 £486,307 Brent 91 £358,870 Camden 140 £614,251 Ealing 116 £519,964 Enfield 99 £522,204 Greenwich 84 £387,821 Hackney 114 £499,735 Haringey 145 £615,062 Hounslow 86 £474,525 Islington 127 £487,981 Kensington and Chelsea 71 £282,752 Kingston upon Thames 69 £415,215 Lambeth 99 £358,624 Lewisham 101 £329,818 Merton 38 £224,224 Newham 145 £638,147 Redbridge 49 £251,606 Richmond 32 £129,270 Southwark 117 £472,132 Sutton 59 £209,884 Tower Hamlets 110 £504,595 Wandsworth 89 £336,561 Westminster 98 £433,614 Mr Khan said: “Many older households in London are disproportionately affected by cost-of-living pressures so I am delighted that thanks to our campaign they have claimed over £17m in Pension Credit. I’m pleased to be extending the scheme for a further year, helping to reach even more households across the capital that are eligible to receive Pension Credit. "As Mayor, I will continue to stand up for all Londoners and do all I can to help them with cost-of-living pressures, building a better and fairer London for everyone.
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